New to the forum? Introduce yourself here!

[Marjo0]

**We now have a new introduction discussion, to view click here. We look forward to hearing from you. This topic is closed to new replies. Thank you **

Hi everyone,

Welcome to the Airbnb Community Center. This thread is for introducing yourself to your fellow Airbnb forum members, as well as welcoming and saying hi to newcomers in return, in order to make everyone feel like they belong.

I'm Marjo, and I lead the Community Center staff team who will manage this online forum on a daily basis. You will see me posting here sometimes, along with our other English community staff member @Lizzie, who has just joined as well and will be introducing herself in this thread too - Lizzie will be managing the English community full-time once we launch the forum.

Here's a few additional facts about me:

1. My favourite city is San Francisco. I spent hours and hours of time there on Google street view for years, until I actually got to visit the city in person recently. Such a friendly and colourful place!
2. I have 2 cats which probably makes me a bit of a (crazy) cat lady.
3. I'm originally from Helsinki, Finland.

How about you, any fun facts you want to share? 🙂

I'm looking forward to getting to know all of you so feel free to reply to this thread and say hello!

[Lucille-and-Alan0]

I was not able to start a discussion. Should this have been possible?

[Marjo0]

@Lucille-and-Alan0 That's right, the Getting Started board in Welcome is closed for opening new discussions, as we collect here static information such as the Community Center Guidelines. This introductions thread is open for replies however, so everyone can introduce themselves in one place when they join the forum, and can welcome each other. For opening new discussions, we have the Host, Guest and Cities categories with different boards, and at the moment if you have thoughts or questions about the new platform we also have the Welcome to Beta board ready and open for discussions. Hope that makes sense!

Also, welcome @Keith0! 🙂

[Ian0]

Already liked to know that you will be able to block oppening discutions on some sections.

In old groups, there was a lot of redundant information and waste of time with the same questions.

It's hard to keep forum like this well organized. wish you all good look !

Ian 

[Ian0]

Well... I'll introduce here and live my coments about the beta for a better place.

I'm Ian, from Brazil.

I used to host a lot of people in my house before Airbnb, than it came up, I now i've lot of concurrent.

Kidding...

Now a days i've people actualy living in my spare room, but since i like this hosting busines so mutch, i'm refurnishing 2 apartments just for hosting in São Paulo. And trying to get clients with empty spaces avaiable to be a host manager for them as well.

I've two dogs, i'm cyclist and work with comununications.

Tnks for the beta program!

Ian

[Rebecca44]

Maybe you could say a little bit about yourself Sanjeeea, and then a conversation could take off from that. How about telling us about your listing and the area in which you live?

[Sanjeewa0]

Hi im from srilanka, my guest house close to ancint place and nathcure, sigiriya it was eighte wonder  in world,  so nice place

[Sandra283]

Sounds beautiful

[Lia---Garry0]

We've been hosting in my (Lia's)  home in Pasadena, CA, USA.  I (Lia) started with one room and have expanded to two regularly and three on occasions when I have larger groups traveling together. You can see our listings on our profile -- https://www.airbnb.com/users/show/389657.

When I started hosting, I reached out to hosts in my area through the very cumbersome Airbnb messaging system. I invited about 20 hosts to my home to discuss forming a support group. Twelve people came to the first meeting. We've grown to a network of more than 60 of the approx. 230 hosts in Pasadena. We communicate via email + a closed Facebook group and text and phone. We meet monthly for a pot-luck dinner and discussion of Airbnb issues.

We are now working with the City of Pasadena to acheive new codes that will make our status truly leagal, instead of the current gray area of not illegal because there isn't any code that addresses Airbnb or short-term rentals.

We would love to connect with hosts and have checked the box on the profile saying that our email can be shown -- but here it is for anyone who whants to contact us directly: ******.

We will be at Airbnb Open in Paris and are looking forward to meeting and learning!

[Barbara-and-Glenn0]

Hello Lia & Garry! 

My husband and I are new at hosting. We had our first guests last weekend and are booked again this weekend. I love your idea of reaching out to the other hosts in the area and getting together. You don't find that people are unhappy that you have come into their area?

Really excited about this journey. 

We are in Chester, New York, The Hudson Valley.

[FamilyKJ0]

Hi @Barbara-and-Glenn0

About people being competitive:

I've only met one other host in my area in person, and its not really competitive. We are both happy to have someone to bounce ideas around. Maybe its because  there is lots of demand? I had a hunter who wanted to book a whole week, but inly pay until she ( yes a female hunter) bagged an elk. I said no-can-do, but Diane said "refer her over to me." Diane and i are both just winging it. We both complain about how much work it is to clean everything, especially since the water is so hard. We are both new & surprised that  our calendars seem to get filled up.  Its exciting since when we started we didn't know if anyone would book ever!

Karen

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/20440492?preview_for_ml

[Barbara-and-Glenn0]

Oh, also, I notice you have  Level 4 by your name. What does that mean?

[Clara116]

@Barbara-and-Glenn0 Hello - the more a person interacts on The Community Center the higher the level - I think I am now Level 8 and so I reach out, comment on and make a few suggestions for others and try to support hosts. Good luck and Best to you, Clara

[HollyandDan0]

I love the idea of starting a group. I'm thinking first my condo owner/hosts then the city of Puerto Vallarta. 

Thanks for the inspiration!

Holly

[David778]

Lia,

I am in Waco, Texas.  The Fixer Upper TV show, along with the expanded Magnolia Market has made Waco a real tourist spot.  Many new vacation rental properties have opened in the past year and the City has expanded requirements for all of us to obtain permits. The city council has several members who are control freaks and they make applicants go through hearings that are really unnecessary.  Most everything could be handled at staff level unless there was a protest.

All that said, your city, Pasadena, CA could look at zoning code requirements for other towns.  Waco's code is pretty straight-forward. The biggest hassle we had was making sure a window could open in every sleeping room.  Our house is 107 years old and the windows were painted shut. Waco also requires a parking space off the street for every sleeping room. That is over-kill, as our guests come in clumps - generally, they all arrive in one car.

If you want to see our house, we are the last show in the first season of Fixer Upper.

Good luck!